Cameron Direct – Live and Unscripted and In Brentford
Residents get Conservative Leader’s views on Heathrow, Expenses and Labour Frontbenchers
An audience of over 200 local residents got the chance to question David Cameron on any subject of their choice on Monday evening when the Conservative Leader made a flying visit to the area. ‘Cameron Direct’, held in Brentford School for Girls, was one of a series of evenings hosted by Conservatives aimed at bringing national politics to a local level.
“I’m bored with politics,” Cameron announced to the sizeable audience, ““I’m here to show you that politics can make a difference that we do want to listen, to understand what’s important to you and to show you that with your help we can make a difference.”
And so began an hour’s questioning from the mainly pro-Tory gathering. Issues raised ranged from identity cards - he’s against them - via Polyclinics - he’s against them too - to the third runway at Heathrow. “I believe a case for a third runway is yet to be made,” he said. “Gordon Brown has said that he is making a decision, not that he has made a decision therefore your marching, your petitions, your campaigning can have an effect. It has had an effect, don’t give up on it.”
On the controversy of Ann Keen MP and her expenses, Cameron resisted mocking and stated that he and all his party members were, with immediate effect, going to publish all their expenses. “Transparency is the best way to reform. I’ve just done my own expenses for the last three months and will be publishing them in their entirety. It’s the best way to regulate expenditure, for MPs to think ‘what would this look like on the pages of the Daily Mail?’”
As expected, all the questions were of a political nature answered with all the slickness expected from a politician of Cameron’s calibre. However, when asked which of the Labour front benchers he most admired, he claimed Labour MP Tony Benn had been the man who inspired him to go into politics through reading his book. “I always admired Tony Benn,” he said “When I told him I thoroughly enjoyed reading his book ‘Arguments for Democracy’ he looked at me as if he wished he hadn’t written it!” He also went onto to praise Tony Benn’s son Hilary, who lives in Chiswick, for being ‘extremely polite’.
Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Brentford & Isleworth Constituency, Mary Macleod (pictured right with David Cameron) said, “"I am delighted that David Cameron came to Brentford to listen and speak directly to local residents. It is not often that people get the chance to question a future Prime Minister and find out what he really thinks and feels.
"Lots of great questions were asked and he answered them with passion and honesty, showing clearly what he believes in and what he is going to do for the country. He also knows how important Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth, Osterley and Hounslow are, for him to win the next General Election."
July 13, 2008
